Vehicle wheel cover



Feb. 5, 1952 H. J. HORN 2,584,452

VEHICLE WHEEL COVER Filed June 4, 1949 Zhmentor HARRY J. HORN 3 GttqmegS Patented Feb. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE A VEHICLE WHEEL. COVER Harry J. Horn, Lansing, Mich assignor to Motor Wheel, Corporation, Lansing, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application June 4, 1949, SerialNo. 97,203

detachable wheel cover which is efiectively and securely interengaged with the wheel, which can be easily disengaged from the Wheel by the use ofthe proper tool, and which is relatively less expensive to fabricate and more easily attached to the wheel than wheel covers. presently in use.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a vehicle wheel showing my cover assembled thereto.

Fig. 2 is a. section. taken. along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of the inside of the cover, the cover being removed from the wheel.

Fig. 4 is an isometric view showing the construction at the snap-on portion of the cover.

Referring more particularly to the drawings there is shown a vehicle wheel comprising a wheel body I having a bolting-on flange 2 by means of which the wheel is bolted to a hub and a rim 3 secured in the usual manner to the body I by rivets 4.

The wheel body I is provided with a plurality of equally spaced pockets 5 which, for purposes of description, are herein shown as four in numher. The cover is designated 6 and can be made of any resilient material such as sheet steel. Cover 5 can be stamped or spun into form which, for purposes of description only, is shown as convex when viewed from the outside of the wheel. a

Cover 6 is provided with peripheral projections I. For purposes of description the coveris pro vided with four projections I to correspond to the four pockets 5 in the wheel body. Projections I are preferably equidistantly spaced about the edge of the cover 8 corresponding to the spacings of pockets 5 and at least two of the projections l are deformed as described below.

Preferably deformed projections 1 should be diametrically opposed. The other two projections I are plain with no deformation on the ends. The two deformed projections I are each sheared as at 9 and I along their outer edge; The portion II between cuts 9 and Ill, is turned radially outwardly and then axially rearwardly over the main portion of projection I. The edge portions I 2on the outside of cuts 9 and II] are turned radially inwardly so that they interengage edge portions l6 of pockets to releasably lock the 5 Claims. (0!. 301-37) cover to the wheel body. Preferably edge portiens I2 make a substantially right angle with portion 7. If desired, edge portions I2 can be turned radially inwardly and then axially toward cover 6. Cuts 9 and It) are preferably located so that portions II and I2 are of about the same length taken circumferentially of the cover.

A plurality of elastic rubber blocks I3 are positioned at spaced intervals on the inside of the cover. These blocks [3 are slightly thicker than the space between cover 6 and wheel body I at the point at which they are positioned so that when the cover is attached to the wheel the blocks are; placed in compression and exert an axial outwardpressure on the cover. Blocks l3 can be cemented orotherwise ahixed to cover 6.

The cover is assembled to the wheel body by placing one of thevresilient projections I through an opening 5 in the wheel body and hooking fingers l2 over the inner edge of opening or pocket 5 at this place. The two plain projections I slide over the outer face of the wheel body in slightly resilient or spring contact therewith as at I4, Fig. 1, and the other projection I is forced over the wheel body and the inwardly bent fingers I2 ride over the wheel body into the diametrically opposite pocket 5 and snap into the position shown in Fig. 2 where they'interengage the inner edge of this pocket. The rubber blocks I 3 are held in compression and exert an outward axial force on the cover so that fingers l2 which interengage in diametrically opposite openings 5 are drawn yieldably against the inner edges of these pockets.

The cover is removed by placing a screw driver or similar tool in the pocket formed by return bent finger I I and a radially inward movement of the screw driver which acts as a lever will pull the radially inwardly turned fingers l2 free from the inner edge of pocket 5 and the cover will be loosened so that it can be removed from the wheel. It will be noted that resilient projections or tabs I extend axially inwardly from the circumferential edge I5 of the wheel cover 6. Hence, in removing the cover from the wheel, tabs 1 will be flexed radially outwardly to disengage fingers l2 from the inner edge I5 of pocket 5.

I claim:

1. A cover for a vehicle wheel body having a pair of circumferentially spaced resilient diametrically opposite projections each extending axially beyond the circumference of the cover, each projection being sheared axially from its outer edge to provide at least one radially inwardly extending finger at its outer edge and a second finger juxtaposed to said first mentioned finger 3 and bent radially outwardly from the edge of the projection and then axially backwardly over the projection toform a socket adapted to receive a tool for flexing the projection radially outwardlg." preparatory to removing the cover from the wheel.

2. A cover for a wheel body having at least two circumferentially spaced axially extending resilient projections, each projection having one portion of its edge turned radially inwardly and adapted to interengage an edge portion of the wheel body to releasably secure the cover to the wheel body and another edge portion bent radially outwardly and axially over said projection to form a socket adapted to receive a tool for flexing the projection preparatory to removing the cover from the wheel, and elastic means adapted to be placed under compression between the wheel body and the cover to yieldably retain the radial fingers in interengagement with an edge of the wheel body.

3. A convex sheet metal cover for a vehicle wheel body, said cover having at least two substantially diametrically opposed resilient tabs extending generally axially from the peripheral edge of said cover, each tab having one portion of its outer edge turned radially inwardly to form a finger adapted to interengage an edge portion of the wheel body whereby the interen gagement of the opposed tabs With the edge of the wheel body secures the cover to the wheel, at least one of said tabghaving another edge portion bent radially outwardly and axially over said tab to form a socket adapted to receive a tool for flexing the tab generally in a radially outward direction to disengage the tab from the edge of the wheel, and elastic means adapted to be placed under compression between the wheel fingered tabs in maintaining the cover centered on the wheel body.

5. A cover for a vehicle wheel body having a pair of circumferentially spaced resilient projections each extending axially beyond the circumference of the cover, each projection having at least one radially inwardly extending finger at its outer edge and a second finger bent radially outwardly from the edge of the projection and then backwardly over the projection to form a socket adapted to receive a tool for flexing the projection preparatory to removing the cover from the wheel, said resilient projections being positioned diametrically opposite each other, and a pair of plain axially extending resilient projections positioned midway between the aforementioned projections.

HARRY J. HORN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,368,245 Lyon l Jan. 30, 1945 2,551,327 Horn May 1, 1951 

